​October is Fire Prevention Month and Dapper Ducts wants to make sure you do some of the quick and easy things around your house that will keep you and your family safe.
 
Did you know that 3 out of every 5 deaths from home fires happened in homes with no working smoke alarms?  I’m sure you’ve seen the reminders on highways signs that the two times we change the clocks each year are also the perfect reminders to check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.  Now smoke and CO detectors are good for 10 years and that is definitely worth the peace of mind knowing you are protected.
 
Dryer vents are also a big source of home fires.  Frequently, dryer vents aren’t cleaned on a regular basis (Dapper Ducts recommends annually) and if you run a few dryer cycles in a row, the buildup of lint and debris in the dryer vent duct can get hot enough that it may actually ignite and cause a fire.  Always clean your lint trap, but you also need the duct that vents to the exterior of your home cleaned by a professional.  We also frequently see that builders and contractors are not using the proper materials for dryer vent ductwork leading to increased likelihood of fires as well.
 
And of course we can’t talk about fire prevention if we don’t mention your chimney. If you regularly light a fire in your fireplace, creosote builds up on the walls of your chimney.   Over time, this buildup can become the source of a fire as it is quite flammable.
 
We are not trying to scare you, just want you to take the steps within your power to prevent a fire.  Definitely get your dryer vent and chimney cleaned once each year to be on the safe side. If you are not sure about the last time your dryer vent or chimney was cleaned, you should contact Dapper Ducts to schedule a service.

There are a number of reasons why house fires get started including dangerous smoking habits, faulty electrical equipment and wiring, grease that ignites when cooking, and so on.  Of all the house fires that occur every year, roughly 17,000 of them are attributed to improper dryer vent cleaning and not cleaning out your dryer’s lint trap.  Dryer fires are oftentimes attributed to the type of ductwork material that is used in the exhaust and venting system as well.
 
Aside from regular lint trap and dryer vent cleaning, the use of proper building materials can greatly reduce the risk of a house fire starting from your dryer. Dapper Ducts can assess whether the venting hose used in your home is up to code.  Depending on the material used and configuration of your dryer duct, which is different in every home, you can make the accumulation of debris and lint far less likely to happen.
 
Regardless of the type of venting material used, regular dryer vent cleaning is always recommended whether you live in northern Virginia, Washington, DC or Maryland.  Depending on how frequently you use your dryer, the vent should be cleaned at least once every 12-18 months. 
 
If you are not sure about the last time your dryer vent cleaning was completed, you should contact a National Air Duct Cleaner’s Association (NADCA) approved, like Dapper Ducts, to have the cleaning performed.  

There are two basic reasons that dryer vent cleaning should be performed on a regular basis – energy efficiency and fire safety.  So how frequently should you clean out your dryer vent exhaust duct?  Well, that truly depends on how often your dryer is used to dry your bedding, clothing, linens, and anything else.  But a good standard is at least once each year.
 
The average person needs a thorough dryer vent cleaning performed at least once each year.  How is average defined? Average use is doing two or three loads every two or three days.  However, there are always going to be exceptions to this particular rule.  For instance, if you use your dryer every day, you might need to clean out the exhaust and venting every 4 to 6 months.  Conversely, if you are only drying one or two loads per week, then you may only need to clean the vent every year and a half to two years.
 
If you follow these dryer vent cleaning recommendations, your dryer should function properly for many years to come. If you fail to clean your dryer vent regularly, the result will be a dryer that does not operate properly.  Your dryer will have to work much harder and longer which means that it will use more energy and your monthly utility bills will be higher.  This also means the dryer’s life expectancy will be lower.
 
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, nearly 17,000 fires every year are caused by clogged dryer vents and improperly cleaned out lint traps.  Obviously, you don’t want your family and home to be one of these statistics. Protect your home and the people and pets living in it by calling Dapper Ducts to have this essential service completed.

​Many of us realize the importance of cleaning out the lint trap on our clothes dryers each time we dry a load of clothes.  It’s a safety measure that we are familiar with and can easily do ourselves.  However, most of us overlook or aren’t aware that the full dryer exhaust duct needs to be cleaned regularly as well. The dryer exhaust duct connects to the back of the dryer and vents hot air out of the home.   
 
There are a couple of important factors to be aware of where dryer vent cleaning is concerned.  While safety is top of mind, so too is the energy efficient operation of your clothes dryer.  For example, when a dryer vent is largely clogged with debris and lint, a load of towels can take up to 3 times longer to dry thoroughly.  This means that your clothes dryer will have to work harder and longer to complete the job.  As a result, it uses more energy and the cost of your monthly utility bills is going to increase.
 
Energy efficiency is a key issue that most homeowners are concerned about because of costly and negative impacts on the environment.  Much of the length of your dryer exhaust duct cannot be reached or cleaned without the use of specialized tools that only a certified indoor air quality specialist has. 
 
To clean your dryer vent properly, you will need to hire a National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) certified company like Dapper Ducts to ensure that it functions properly and works as efficiently as possible. Though there are numerous dryer vent cleaning services in Washington D.C, Virginia and Maryland, ask for referrals from your family and friends to call in the best company for the job, Dapper Ducts, Inc.

Many home owners overlook the importance of properly cleaned dryer vents and typically feel that this service isn’t essential.  However, the care and maintenance of your dryer vent or dryer duct should not be neglected.  Thought it is relatively easy for you to clean the lint trap, that is only the very beginning of the duct and the entire length should be cleaned.  This is when you need to hire a professional dryer vent cleaning company, like Dapper Ducts.
 
There are a number of reasons why a dryer’s airflow can become restricted besides the build-up of lint.  For instance, the warm air that is emitted from dryer vents attracts birds and other animals, especially during the colder months of winter.  As a result, they will try to build their nests in the vent.  If you cannot clean all of the nesting materials out of your dryer vents, you could be setting yourself up for a potential costly and dangerous situation.
 
The flexible duct that runs from the back of your dryer to the vent outside your home is another issue of concern.  Wet lint collects in the bends of the duct and sticks to the walls. This lint can pile up in each bend reducing air flow.
 
Indoor air cleaning professionals that are trained in the proper cleaning of dryer vents can correct these situations.  Dapper Ducts specializes in dryer vent cleaning and is equipped with powerful compressed air tools to perform the job, unlike most homeowners.  If you require cleaning services for your chimney, air ducts or dryer vents anywhere in Washington DC, Maryland or Virginia, please give us a call.